Game 162 is in the books. All that's left now is the postseason run.
By way of this afternoon's 5-1 win, the Nationals have earned the No. 1 seed in the National League and at least a tie for the best record in the majors.
Even if the Reds win tonight, finishing in a tie with Washington with an identical 98-64 record, the Nats will get the top seed in the NL because they won the season series between the two teams.
That means the Nationals will play the winner of the Braves-Cardinals wild...
Yes, the losing streak is over.
As my colleague Byron Kerr wrote, Teddy won the Presidents Race today.
Print Byron's story out. Frame it. Tell the grandkids about this moment one day.
The crowd got all riled up by Teddy's big victory, and apparently the players did, too. (Either that, or they just got better pitches to hit and put the barrel on them. One of the two.)
The first three Nationals to come to the plate after Teddy's win - Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse and Tyler Moore - went...
It's been widely assumed that the Nationals will go with a postseason rotation made up of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler, though not necessarily in that order, as the starting pitching spots for Games 3 and 4 have yet to be determined.
It's possible, however, that John Lannan finds himself in the playoff rotation, as well.
Lannan has gone 9-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 career starts against the Braves, and he held Atlanta to two runs over seven innings in a win...
The bulk of the Nationals' regulars are back in the starting lineup, while the two that started yesterday - Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche - are taking a seat for today's regular season finale.
The Nats have a magic number of one to clinch the top seed in the National League, giving them home-field advantage through the playoffs and setting them up to play the wild card play-in winner.
If they win today against the Phillies or the Reds lose to the Cardinals tonight, the Nationals will get...
Adam LaRoche popped champagne with his teammates last night, celebrating the Nationals clinching the NL East division title.
He didn't exactly have any bubbly waiting for him in the clubhouse tonight after reaching 100 RBIs for the season, but he still took pride in a nice individual goal which he feels also symbolizes how effective the Nats have been offensively as a team.
"It feels pretty good," LaRoche said. "That's something that, again, anybody in the middle of the lineup, it's...
Last night, a team made up of the Nationals' regulars was held scoreless and managed just five hits in a 2-0 loss to the Phillies.
Tonight, a lineup filled with bench players did the job in a 4-2 win.
"How about that goon squad?" said manager Davey Johnson, calling the bench guys by their self-appointed nickname. "Told you they were tough."
A night after clinching the division, the guys that round out the roster got a chance to see some action, and they made the most of their...
Both the Nationals and Phillies went into this game knowing they'd be relying on Johnny Wholestaff.
In other words, we were going to see a whole host of relievers take the mound tonight.
We've gotten just that so far. Tom Gorzelanny, coming out of the bullpen to spot-start for the Nats, went 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out five. B.J. Rosenberg, a reliever who was called on to start for the Phillies, went four innings, giving up one run over four frames.
We now find...
Despite all the madness that went on in the Nationals' clubhouse last night, it looked good as new this afternoon.
The only indication that gallons of champagne, beer, juice and water had been spilled everywhere just 16 hours earlier was the faint odor of beer. Clubhouse manager Mike Wallace stayed until 5:30 this morning cleaning up, and a cleaning crew worked through the night to get the place looking nice and spiffy by the time players showed up this afternoon.
Gio Gonzalez got to the...
Davey Johnson got hit with a champagne shower three times last night.
After he got dried off from the first attack, Adam LaRoche ambushed Johnson and soaked him again. Johnson may not have loved it, but he took it in stride.
"He got me good," Johnson said.
Then, rookie reliever Christian Garcia, a guy battling for a spot on the postseason roster, was gutsy enough to soak his 69-year-old skipper yet again.
"'Son, that's a no-no,' " Johnson recalled himself saying, chuckling as he...
Now that the Nationals have locked up the National League East title, they're going about preparing for the postseason.
Step one: sitting Gio Gonzalez.
Davey Johnson has decided to rest Gonzalez, tonight's scheduled starter, and will instead have left-handed reliever Tom Gorzelanny start against the Phillies.
Gonzalez could have started tonight and thrown just a couple innings to stay fresh for a possible Game 1 start Saturday or Sunday, but Johnson will instead give the ball to...
There was one quote from last night's celebration that I didn't get around to dropping into any of my earlier entries, but wanted to make sure to pass along before the night fades away.
The quote comes from Bryce Harper, who was asked about Stephen Strasburg's role in getting the Nationals to the NL East title despite last taking the mound for the team on Sept. 7.
"He frickin' pitched his butt off this year," Harper said. "It really sucked that he had to be shut down, but it's OK....
As the Nationals sprayed champagne, beer, Gatorade, orange juice, water, baby powder, shaving cream and any other substance they could find last night, there was plenty of great stuff going on.
On the MASN broadcast, Gio Gonzalez called principal owner Mark Lerner, whose foot is in a boot after recent surgery, "the pimp with the limp."
While on the field, Ryan Mattheus sprinted over to Teddy, the giant racing president, and dumped a beer all over him.
Wilson Ramos - surgically repaired...
Shortly after Gio Gonzalez dumped a beer on the head of the Nationals' managing principal owner Ted Lerner, his son, Mark Lerner, stood on the field with players celebrating all around him, talking about what the NL East title meant to the organization after years of losing.
"When Commissioner (Bud) Selig gave us the team, it was a big decision on his part," Lerner said. "First of all, our family wants to thank him for having the trust that we could do it the right way, and I hope he's...
There's a ton to digest and type up after the Nationals clinched the National League East, setting off a wild celebration in the clubhouse and on the field tonight, and I'll have plenty for you throughout the next couple hours and into tomorrow.
For now, here are some quotes from the guys who got to do all the celebrating to hold you over, transcribed by a reporter who now reeks like beer:
Drew Storen
On clinching: "Speechless. It's something you really dream for and ever since I got...
Ladies and gentlemen, the Washington Nationals are your 2012 National League East champions.
It sure didn't come easily. The Nats had lost nine of their last 16 games coming into tonight and are currently trailing the Phillies 2-0 in the ninth inning here in Washington.
The division clincher came 250 miles away from D.C., as the Braves lost to the Pirates 2-1, giving the NL East to the Nationals.
The Nats should ship a fruit basket - or a few thousand of them - to their new friends in...
Through five innings, the Nationals have not managed a single run and have put up just three base hits - all singles - off Kyle Kendrick.
Kendrick, who the Nats lit up on Wednesday, has let just four balls out of the infield. Of the 15 outs he's retired, 12 have been via the ground ball, and the Nationals' best threat so far only came after the Phillies starter chucked a pickoff throw down the right field line, allowing Kurt Suzuki to move from first to third.
The play brought a large crowd...
At the start of his afternoon press conference today, Davey Johnson was asked about the Orioles, his former team both as a player and a manager, clinching their first playoff spot since Johnson managed them in 1997.
"It was great. Great," Johnson said. "Beat the Yankees. Finish ahead of the Yankees."
Johnson then paused.
"That'll get you fired," he said with a laugh.
A couple minutes later, Johnson was asked how he feels about being mentioned as a candidate for the Manager of the...
Kurt Suzuki has told manager Davey Johnson in the past that he has no problem starting every single game.
Until the Nationals clinch the NL East title, Johnson is taking Suzuki up on his offer.
Suzuki's getting the start behind the plate for the 10th straight day, a very lengthy streak for a catcher. In the last nine games, Suzuki is batting .294 with a home run and seven RBIs, so Johnson doesn't want to go away from the hot hand. He'll stick with Suzuki until the Nats are able to lock up...
ST. LOUIS - Each of the last two days, I'd brought a bag containing a change of clothes with me to Busch Stadium. If the Nationals happened to clinch the division and I ended up with champagne all over my button down and pants, I didn't want to then have to spend the next couple hours working while stinking like alcohol.
My college friends can insert their own jokes here.
The change of clothes never left the bag, however. Saturday night, a Braves win prevented the Nationals from popping...
ST. LOUIS - Toward the end of a lengthy session with reporters after today's 10-4 loss to the Cardinals, Ross Detwiler, who was hit hard in his 2 1/3 innings of work, was able to inject a little humor to lighten the mood in a quiet Nationals clubhouse.
"This was for all the fans back in D.C.," Detwiler deadpanned. "(I) wanted them to see the team clinch."
Don't take that quote the wrong way; by no means did Detwiler take his rough start lightly. He was frustrated with his inability to...
